A position detection device includes: a light source adapted to form a light intensity distribution of a detection light beam; a first detector adapted to receive a reflected light beam of the detection light beam reflected by an object in a detection area where the light intensity distribution is formed; a transmissive member disposed between the detection area and the light source, and between the detection area and the first detector, and having a first surface directed toward the detection area and a second surface directed toward the light source; a second detector adapted to receive a light beam reflected by the second surface out of the detection light beam; a position detector adapted to detect the object based on the detection result in the first detector; and a light blocking member disposed between the second detector and the detection area, and adapted to block the reflected light beam.
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1. A position detection device adapted to detect a position of a target object, comprising:
a light source section forming a light intensity distribution of a detection light beam;
a first light detector receiving a reflected light beam of the detection light beam reflected by the target object;
a transmissive member disposed between a detection area and the light source section, and between the detection area and the first light detector;
a second light detector receiving a light beam reflected by the transmissive member out of the detection light beam emitted from the light source section; and
a light blocking member disposed between the second light detector and the transmissive member, and adapted to block the reflected light beam.
6. A hand device provided with a position detection device adapted to detect a position of a target object, comprising:
a light source section forming a light intensity distribution of a detection light beam;
a first light detector receiving a reflected light beam of the detection light beam reflected by the target object;
a transmissive member disposed between a detection area and the light source section, and between the detection area and the first light detector;
a second light detector receiving a light beam reflected by the transmissive member out of the detection light beam emitted from the light source section;
a light blocking member disposed between the second light detector and the transmissive member, and adapted to block the reflected light beam; and
a hand adapted to grip the target object.
7. A display device with a position detection function adapted to detect a position of a target object, comprising:
a light source section forming a light intensity distribution of a detection light beam;
a first light detector receiving a reflected light beam of the detection light beam reflected by the target object;
a transmissive member disposed between the detection area and the light source section, and between a detection area and the first light detector;
a second light detector receiving a light beam reflected by the transmissive member out of the detection light beam emitted from the light source section;
a light blocking member disposed between the second light detector and the transmissive member, and adapted to block the reflected light beam; and
an image generation device adapted to display an image.
2. The position detection device according to
the second light detector is disposed at a position overlapping the first light detector in a plan view with respect to a flat surface of the transmissive member.
3. The position detection device according to
the light source section forms a first light intensity distribution in which the intensity varies in a direction from a first side toward a second side opposite to the first side in the detection area, and a second light intensity distribution having an intensity variation in a direction from the second side toward the first side that is different from the first light intensity distribution, and
the position detection device detects a position of the target object based on a comparison result between a detection result in the first light detector when forming the first light intensity distribution, and a detection result in the first light detector when forming the second light intensity distribution.
4. The position detection device according to
the light source section forms a first light intensity distribution in which the intensity varies in a direction from a first side toward a second side opposite to the first side in the detection area, and a second light intensity distribution having an intensity variation in a direction from the second side toward the first side that is different from the first light intensity distribution, and varies an emission intensity of the detection light beam so that the detection result in the first light detector when forming the first light intensity distribution and the detection result in the first light detector when forming the second light intensity distribution become equal to each other, and
the position detection device detects a position of the target object based on one of the emission intensity of the detection light beam after varying the emission intensity of the detection light beam and the detection result in the second light detector.
5. The position detection device according to
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This is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/955,133 filed Nov. 29, 2010 which claims priority to the entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-273168, filed Dec. 1, 2009 all of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical position detection device for optically detecting the position of a target object, and a hand device and a display device with a position detection function each provided with the optical position detection device.
2. Related Art
As the optical position detection device for optically detecting the position of the target object, there is proposed, for example, a device (see, e.g., JP-T-2003-534554 (Document 1; the term “JP-T” as used herein means a published Japanese translation of a PCT patent application)) of emitting detection light beams respectively from two light beam sources toward the target object via a transmissive member, and then receiving the component of the detection light beams, which are reflected by the target object and transmitted through the transmissive member, by a common light detector.
In the configuration described in Document 1 described above, the position of the target object is detected based on the ratio between the emission intensities of the detection light beams when controlling the two light beam sources so that the receiving intensity of the light detector in the case in which the detection light beam emitted from one of the two light beam sources is reflected by the target object and the receiving intensity of the light detector in the case in which the detection light beam emitted from the other of the two light beam sources is reflected by the target object become equal to each other.
In the configuration described in Document 1, since the method of using the spatial relationship between the detection light beams emitted from the two light beam sources is adopted, it is required to accurately control the emission intensities of the detection light beams from the light beam sources. In order for achieving the above, although it is required to set the emission intensity of the light beam sources while monitoring inspection light beams emitted from the two light beam sources in the condition without the target object, Document 1 fails to propose the configuration therefor.
Further, in the configuration described in Document 1, some of the detection light beam emitted from each of the two light beam sources is reflected by a surface of the transmissive member on the side opposite to the side where the target object is located, and is received by the light detector. Therefore, the reception intensity in the light detector is a result of combining the reception intensity of the detection light beam reflected by the target object and the reception intensity of the light beam other than the detection light beam reflected by the target object. Therefore, there arises a problem that the position detection accuracy is degraded if the position of the target object is detected based on the ratio between the emission intensities of the detection light beams when controlling the two light beam sources so that the receiving intensity of the light detector in the case in which the detection light beam emitted from one light beam source is reflected by the target object and the receiving intensity of the light detector in the case in which the detection light beam emitted from the other light beam source is reflected by the target object become equal to each other.
An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an optical position detection device in which some of the detection light emitted from the light source section is monitored as a blank light beam having a constant intensity irrespective of presence or absence of the target object and is used for setting the drive condition in the light source section, and the blank light does not hinder detection of the position of the target object, and a hand device and a display device with a position detection function, each having the optical position detection device.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an optical position detection device adapted to optically detect a position of a target object, including a light source section adapted to form a light intensity distribution of a detection light beam in a detection area set in an emission direction of the detection light beam, a first light detector which a position detecting reflected light beam reflected by the target object in the detection area enters and a blank light beam failing to pass through the detection area fails to enter out of the detection light beam emitted from the light source section, a second light detector which the position detecting reflected light beam fails to enter and the blank light beam enters, and a position detection section adapted to detect the target object in the detection area based on the detection result in the first light detector.
In this aspect of the invention, the light source device emits the detection light beam to form the light intensity distribution in the detection area. Further, the position detecting reflected light beam reflected by the target object is detected by the first light detector. Here, since the light intensity distribution has a certain relationship between the position in the detection area and the intensity, by previously figuring out the relationship between the position and the intensity of the detection light beam, the position detection section can detect the position of the target object based on the light reception result of the first light detector. Further, in this aspect of the invention, there is provided the second light detector to which the position detecting reflected light beam reflected by the target object in the detection area out of the detection light beam emitted from the light source section is not input, and the blank light beam not passing through the detection area enters the second light detector. Therefore, since the second light detector can monitor the blank light beam irrespective of whether or not the target object exists in the detection area, it is possible to set the emission intensity of the detection light beam from the light source section to optimum conditions based on the monitoring result. Therefore, since it is not required to monitor the blank light beam by the first light detector, it is possible to adopt the configuration in which the position detecting reflected light beam enters the first light detector while the blank light beam does not enter the first light detector. Therefore, since the influence of the blank light beam is eliminated from the light reception result in the first light detector, the position detection section can detect the position of the target object without being unnecessarily affected by the blank light beam.
In this aspect of the invention, it is preferable that a light blocking member adapted to block the position detecting reflected light beam from entering the second light detector is disposed between the second light detector and the detection area. According to this configuration, the position detecting reflected light beam can be prevented from entering the second light detector only by adding the configuration of providing the light blocking member.
In this aspect of the invention, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a transmissive member having a first surface directed toward the detection area and a second surface directed toward the light source section is disposed between the light source section and the detection area, and the blank light beam corresponds to a light beam reflected by the second surface of the transmissive member out of the detection light beam emitted from the light source section. According to this configuration, out of the detection light beam emitted from the light source section, the blank light beam can be deflected toward the side on which the second light detector is located.
In this aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the first light detector has a light receiving section disposed close to the second surface of the transmissive member. According to this configuration, the blank light beam can be prevented from entering the first light detector with a relatively simple configuration.
In this aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the second light detector is disposed at a position overlapping the first light detector in the normal direction with respect to the second surface on the side opposite to the side on which the transmissive member is located with respect to the first light detector. According to this configuration, the position detecting reflected light beam can be prevented from entering the second light detector with a relatively simple configuration.
In this aspect of the invention, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the light source section forms a first light intensity distribution in which the intensity varies in a direction from one side toward the other side in the detection area, and a second light intensity distribution having an intensity variation in a direction from the other side toward the one side different from the first light intensity distribution, and the position detection section detects a position of the target object based on a comparison result between a detection result in the first light detector when forming the first light intensity distribution, and a detection result in the first light detector when forming the second light intensity distribution.
In this aspect of the invention, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the light source section forms a first light intensity distribution in which the intensity varies in a direction from one side toward the other side in the detection area, and a second light intensity distribution having an intensity variation in a direction from the other side toward the one side different from the first light intensity distribution, and varies an emission intensity of the detection light beam so that the detection result in the first light detector when forming the first light intensity distribution and the detection result in the first light detector when forming the second light intensity distribution become equal to each other, and the position detection section detects a position of the target object based on one of the emission intensity of the detection light beam from the light source section after varying the emission intensity of the detection light beam and the detection result in the second light detector.
By adopting such a detection method, even in the case in which the environment light enters the first light detector and the second light detector, the position of the target object can be detected without being affected by the environment light.
The optical position detection device to which the invention is applied can be applied to a hand device, and in this case, the hand device is provided with a hand for gripping the target object.
The optical position detection device to which the invention is applied can be applied to the display device with a position detection function, and in this case, the display device with a position detection function is provided with an image generation device for displaying an image in an area overlapping the detection area.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
Hereinafter, some embodiments of the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the explanation described below it is assumed that X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis intersect with each other, and the direction in which the transmissive member and the target object are distant from each other is a Z-axis direction. Further, in the drawings referred to below, things are shown assuming one side of the X-axis direction as an X1 side, the other side thereof as an X2 side, one side of the Y-axis direction as a Y1 side, and the other side thereof as a Y2 side.
First Embodiment
Overall Configuration
In
In order for performing such detection, the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with the transmissive member 40 having a sheet-like shape or a plate-like shape and having a first surface 41 directed along the XY plane, a light source section 11 for emitting detection light beams L2 from the side of a second surface 42 opposite to the side of the first surface 41 in the transmissive member 40, and a first light detector 30 for detecting position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob and transmitted to the side of the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40. A light receiving section 31 of the first light detector 30 is opposed to the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 42.
In the present embodiment, the light source section 11 is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements 12, and these light emitting elements 12 are driven by a light source drive section 14 shown in
The first light detector 30 is composed of a photodiode or a phototransistor having the light receiving section 31 directed toward the transmissive member 40, and in the present embodiment, a photodiode is used as the first light detector 30. In the present embodiment, the first light detector 30 is disposed on the side of the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40, and between the positions at which the two light emitting elements 12A, 12B are disposed.
In the optical position detection device 10 having the configuration described above, a detection area 10R is set on the side of the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40 (a space on the emission side of the detection light beams L2 from the light source section 11). Therefore, when the light emitting elements 12A, 12B of the light source section 11 are put on sequentially to emit the detection light beams L2a, L2b, the detection light beams L2a, L2b are transmitted through the transmissive member 40, and form respective X-coordinate detecting light intensity distributions (an X-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Xa and an X-coordinate detecting second light intensity distribution L2Xb) each having the intensity varying along the X-axis direction on the side of the first surface 41 (the detection area 10R) as described later with reference to
Further, when the light emitting elements 12A, 12B of the light source section 11 are put on simultaneously to emit the detection light beams L2a, L2b, the detection light beams L2a, L2b are transmitted through the transmissive member 40, and form a distance detecting light intensity distribution L2Zab having the intensity varying along the normal direction (the Z-axis direction) with respect to the first surface 41 on the side of the first surface 41 (the detection area 10R) as described later with reference to
In the present embodiment, for the purpose of canceling an influence of outside light, the light source section 11 of the optical position detection device 10 is also provided with a light emitting element 12R for reference, which emits a reference light beam L2r toward the first light detector 30. Similarly to the light emitting elements 12 (the light emitting element 12A, 12B) for position detection, the light emitting element 12R for reference is also composed of a light emitting diode (LED) or the like, and the light emitting element 12R emits the reference light beam L2r, which is an infrared light beam, as a diverging light beam. It should be noted that the light emitting element 12R for reference is provided with a light blocking cover (not shown), so that the reference light beam L2r emitted from the light emitting element 12R for reference does not enter the side (the detection area 10R) of the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40.
Configuration of Second Light Detector
As shown in
Further, in the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, on the side of the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 there is disposed a second light detector 60, and the second light detector 60 also has a light receiving section 61 directed toward the second surface 42 similarly to the first light detector 30. Similarly to the first light detector 30, the second light detector 60 is composed of a photodiode or a phototransistor, and in the present embodiment, a photodiode is used as the second light detector 60.
Here, the second light detector 60 is disposed at a position overlapping the first light detector 30 in the normal direction with respect to the second surface 42 on the side opposite to the side where the transmissive member 40 is located with respect to the first light detector 30. Further, in a space between the first light detector 30 and the second light detector 60 included in a space between the transmissive member 40 and the second light detector 60, there is disposed a plate-like light blocking member 70 capable of blocking infrared light beams, and therefore the light blocking member 70 intervenes between the detection area 10R and the second light detector 60. The light blocking member 70 has a size slightly larger than that of the second light detector 60, and has a predetermined distance from the second light detector 60.
In the optical position detection device 10 configured as described above, when the light source section 11 emits the detection light beams L2 (the detection light beams L2a, L2b) toward the side where the transmissive member 40 and the detection area 10R are located, some of each of the detection light beams L2 is transmitted through the transmissive member 40, and forms the light intensity distribution in the detection area 10R. Further, some of each of the detection light beams L2 (the detection light beams L2a, L2b) emitted from the light source section 11 becomes the blank light beam L0 (a detection light beam L0a or a detection light beam L0b), which is reflected by the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40, and fails to reach the detection area 10R.
Here, since the light receiving section 31 of the first light detector 30 is opposed to the second surface 42, the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob in the detection area 10R enter the first light detector 30. It should be noted that since the light receiving section 31 of the first light detector 30 is close to the second surface 42, the blank light beams L0, which are reflected by the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 and fail to pass through the detection area 10R, fail to enter the first light detector 30.
In contrast thereto, since the first light detector 30 and the light blocking member 70 intervene between the second light detector 60, and the transmissive member 40 and the detection area 10R, the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob in the detection area 10R fail to enter the second light detector 60. It should be noted that since the light blocking member 70 is fairly small in view of the size of the transmissive member 40 and the distance between the light emitting elements 12, the blank light beams L0, which are reflected by the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 and fail to reach the detection area 10R, enter the second light detector 60.
It should be noted that in the present embodiment, environment light Lc such as outside light enters both of the first light detector 30 and the second light detector 60. Further, the reference light beam L2r emitted from the light emitting element 12R for reference partially enters the first light detector 30, and partially enters the second light detector 60 as the blank light beam L0r.
Configuration of Position Detection Section etc.
As shown in
The position detection section 50 is electrically connected to the first light detector 30, and the detection result in the first light detector 30 is output to the position detection section 50. The position detection section 50 is provided with a signal processing section 55 provided with an amplifier and so on, an X-coordinate detection section 51, and a distance detection section 53 (a Z-coordinate detection section), and the light source drive section 14 and the position detection section 50 operate in conjunction with each other to perform the position detection described later.
An emission intensity monitoring section 16 is electrically connected to the second light detector 60, and the detection result in the second light detector 60 is output to the emission intensity monitoring section 16. Such an emission intensity monitoring section 16 monitors the emission intensity of each of the light emitting elements 12 (the light emitting elements 12A, 12B) for position detection and the light emitting element 12R for reference based on the detection result of the blank light beams L0 by the second light detector 60, and the light source control section 145 sets an initial value of the emission intensity of each of the light emitting elements 12 (the light emitting elements 12A, 12B) for position detection and the light emitting element 12R for reference based on the monitoring result.
Initial Setting of Emission Intensities of Light Emitting Elements 12 and 12R
Detection of X Coordinate
In the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, since the two light emitting elements (the light emitting elements 12A, 12B) are disposed at positions distant from each other in the X-axis direction, the X-coordinate of the target object Ob can be detected using the light intensity distribution formed by the light emitting element 12A and the light intensity distribution formed by the light emitting element 12B. Therefore, the configuration of the light intensity distribution and the principle of the X-coordinate detection will be explained with reference to
In the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, when detecting the X-coordinate, firstly in the X-coordinate detecting first period, the light emitting element 12A is put on while putting off the light emitting element 12B to thereby form an X-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Xa in which the intensity monotonically decrease in the X-axis direction from the one side X1 toward the other side X2 as shown in
Therefore, when the target object Ob is disposed in the detection area 10R, the detection light beams L2 are reflected by the target object Ob, and some of each of the reflected light beams is detected by the first light detector 30. Here, by previously setting the X-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Xa formed in the X-coordinate detecting first period and the X-coordinate detecting second light intensity distribution L2Xb formed in the X-coordinate detecting second period to be predetermined distributions, the X-coordinate detection section 51 can detect the X-coordinate of the target object Ob based on the detection result in the light detector 30 using the following method, for example.
For example, in a first method, a comparison result between the X-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Xa and the X-coordinate detecting second light intensity distribution L2Xb shown in
According to such a method, even in the case in which the environment light Lc other than the detection light beams L2 such as the infrared component included in the outside light enters the first light detector 30, the intensity of the infrared component included in the environment light Lc is canceled out when obtaining the difference between the detection values LXa, LXb, and therefore, the infrared component included in the environment light Lc never exerts an influence on the detection accuracy. Further, since the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b) are not included in the detection values LXa, LXb in the first light detector 30, the X-coordinate detection section 51 can detect the X-coordinate of the target object Ob based on the detection result in the first light detector 30 without being affected by the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b). It should be noted that it is also possible to detect the X-coordinate of the target object Ob based on the ratio between the detection values LXa, LXb.
Then, in a second method, the X-coordinate of the target object Ob is detected based on the adjustment value having been used when adjusting the control value (the drive current value) for the light emitting elements 12 so that the detection value LXa in the first light detector 30 when forming the X-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Xa in the X-coordinate detecting first period and the detection value LXb in the first light detector 30 when forming the X-coordinate detecting second light intensity distribution L2Xb in the X-coordinate detecting second period become equal to each other. Such a method can be applied to the case in which the intensity in the X-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Xa and the X-coordinate detecting second light intensity distribution L2Xb shown in
Firstly, as shown in
In contrast thereto, in the case in which the detection value LXa in the first light detector 30 in the X-coordinate detecting first period and the detection value LXb in the first light detector 30 in the X-coordinate detecting second period are different from each other, the control values (the drive current values) to the light emitting elements 12 are adjusted so that the detection values LXa, LXb become equal to each other, and as shown in
According to such a method, even in the case in which the environment light Lc other than the detection light beams L2 such as the infrared component included in the outside light enters the first light detector 30, the intensity of the infrared component included in the environment light Lc is canceled out when performing adjustment of the control values to the light emitting elements 12 so that the detection values LXa, LXb become equal to each other, and therefore, the infrared component included in the environment light Lc never exerts an influence on the detection accuracy. Further, since the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b) are not included in the detection values LXa, LXb in the first light detector 30, the X-coordinate detection section 51 can detect the X-coordinate of the target object Ob based on the detection result in the first light detector 30 without being affected by the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b).
It should be noted that although in the method described above both of the control values to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection are adjusted, it is also possible to adjust either one of the control values.
Further, although in the method described above the X-coordinate of the target object Ob is detected based on the control values to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection, it is also possible to detect the X-coordinate of the target object Ob based on the light reception result in the second light detector 60 when controlling the light emitting elements 12A, 12B so that the detection values LXa, LXb become equal to each other.
When obtaining the position information of the target object Ob in the X-axis direction based on the detection result in the light detector 30 in such a manner as described above, it is also possible to adopt a configuration of using a microprocessor unit (MPU) as the position detection section 50, and thus executing predetermined software (an operation program) by the microprocessor unit, thereby performing the process. Further, as explained later with reference to
Configuration Example of Position Detection Section 50
As shown in
In such a light intensity signal generation circuit 150, the position detection section 50 is electrically connected to the connection point P1 between the first light detector 30 and the resistor 30r. A detection signal Vc output from the connection point P1 between the first light detector 30 and the resistor 30r is expressed by the following formula.
Vc=V30/(V30+(resistance value of the resistor 30r))
Therefore, in comparison between the case in which the environment light Lc fails to enter the first light detector 30 and the case in which the environment light Lc enters the first light detector 30, the level and the amplitude of the detection signal Vc become greater in the case in which the environment light Lc enters the first light detector 30.
The position detection section 50 is generally composed of a position detection signal extraction circuit 190, a position detection signal separation circuit 170, and the emission intensity compensation instruction circuit 180.
The position detection signal extraction circuit 190 is provided with a filter 192 composed of a capacitor of about 1 nF, and the filter 192 functions as a high-pass filter for eliminating a direct-current component from the signal output from the connection point P1 between the first light detector 30 and the resistor 30r. Therefore, due to the filter 192, only the position detection signal Vd detected by the first light detector 30 in the X-coordinate detecting first period and the X-coordinate detecting second period is extracted from the detection signal Vc output from the connection point P1 between the first light detector 30 and the resistor 30r. Therefore, since the intensity of the environment light Lc can be regarded as constant during a certain period of time while the detection light beams L2 and the reference light beam L2r are modulated, the low-frequency component or the direct-current component caused by the environment light Lc can be eliminated by the filter 192.
Further, the position detection signal extraction circuit 190 has an adder circuit 193 provided with a feedback resistor 194 of about 220 kΩ in the posterior stage of the filter 192, and the position detection signal Vd extracted by the filter 192 is output to the position detection signal separation circuit 170 as a position detection signal Vs obtained by superimposing the position detection signal Vd on a voltage V/2 half as high as the bias voltage Vb.
The position detection signal separation circuit 170 is provided with a switch 171 for performing a switching operation in sync with the drive pulse applied to the light emitting element 12A in the X-coordinate detecting first period, a comparator 172, and capacitors 173 electrically connected respectively to input lines of the comparator 172. Therefore, when the position detection signal Vs is input to the position detection signal separation circuit 170, the position detection signal separation circuit 170 outputs the effective value Vea of the position detection signal Vs in the X-coordinate detecting first period and the effective value Veb of the position detection signal Vs in the X-coordinate detecting second period alternately to the emission intensity compensation instruction circuit 180.
The emission intensity compensation instruction circuit 180 compares the effective values Vea, Veb with each other to perform the process shown in
In such a manner as described above, the optical position detection device 10 controls the control value (the current value) of each of the light emitting elements 12 using the emission intensity compensation instruction circuit 180 of the position detection section 50 so that the detection amounts by the first light detector 30 in the X-coordinate detecting first period and the X-coordinate detecting second period become equal to each other. Therefore, since the information regarding the control values to the light emitting elements 12, with which the effective value Vea of the position detection signal Vs in the X-coordinate detecting first period and the effective value Veb of the position detection signal Vs in the X-coordinate detecting second period have the same level, exists in the emission intensity compensation instruction circuit 180, by outputting the information to the distance detection section 53 as the position detection signal Vg, the distance detection section 53 can obtain the X-coordinate of the target object Ob.
Further, in the present embodiment, the filter 192 eliminates the direct-current component caused by the environment light Lc from the detection signal Vc output from the connection point P1 between the first light detector 30 and the resistor 30r to thereby extract the position detection signal Vd in the position detection signal extraction circuit 190. Therefore, even in the case in which the detection signal Vc output from the connection point P1 between the first light detector 30 and the resistor 30r includes the signal component due to the infrared component of the environment light Lc, the influence of such environment light Lc can be canceled.
Distance Detecting Light Intensity Distribution and Method of Detecting Distance LZ
In the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the light emitting elements 12A, 12B are put on simultaneously in the detection light beam detection period, the distance detecting light intensity distribution L2Zab (the Z-coordinate detecting light intensity distribution) in which the intensity decreases monotonically along the normal direction with respect to the first surface 41 is formed on the side (the detection area 10R) of the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40 as shown in
In contrast thereto, when the light emitting element 12R for reference is put on in the reference light detection period, the reference light beam L2r emitted from the light emitting element 12R is partially detected by the first light detector 30. Here, since the reference light beam L2r is never reflected by the target object Ob, the light reception intensity Lr of the reference light beam L2r in the first light detector 30 is constant irrespective of the position of the target object Ob as shown in
In the example shown in
By using such a distance detecting light intensity distribution L2Zab and the reference light beam L2r, the distance LZ (the Z-coordinate) between the target object Ob and the transmissive member 40 can be detected using the methods explained as follows.
For example, in a first method, a difference between the distance detecting light intensity distribution L2Zab and the light reception intensity Lr of the reference light beam L2r in the first light detector 30 shown in
According to such a method, even in the case in which the environment light Lc other than the detection light beams L2 such as the infrared component included in the outside light enters the first light detector 30, the intensity of the infrared component included in the environment light Lc is canceled out when obtaining the difference between the detection values LZab, Lr, and therefore, the infrared component included in the environment light Lc never exerts an influence on the detection accuracy. Further, since the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b, L0r) are not included in the detection values LZab, LZr in the first light detector 30, the distance detection section 53 can detect the distance (the Z-coordinate) of the target object Ob based on the detection result in the first light detector 30 without being affected by the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b, L0r). It should be noted that it is also possible to detect the Z-coordinate of the target object Ob based on the ratio, the difference, or the ratio and the difference between the detection value obtained when putting on the light emitting element 12A, the detection value obtained when putting on the light emitting element 12B, and the detection value Lr obtained when putting on the light emitting element 12R.
Then as a second method there is adopted the method of detecting the distance LZ (the Z-coordinate) between the target object Ob and the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40 based on the adjustment values when adjusting the control values (the drive current values) to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection and the control value (the drive current value) to the light emitting element 12R for reference so that the detection value LZab in the first light detector 30 in the detection light beam detection period and the detection value Lr in the first light detector 30 in the reference light beam detection period become equal to each other.
In such a method, firstly, as shown in
In contrast thereto, if the detection value LZab in the first light detector 30 when forming the distance detecting light intensity distribution L2Zab and the detection value Lr of the reference light beam L2r in the first light detector 30 are different from each other, the control values (the drive current values) to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection and the control value (the drive current value) to the light emitting element 12R for reference are adjusted so that the detection values LZab, Lr become equal to each other. Then, as shown in
As a result, if the detection value LZab in the first light detector 30 obtained when forming the distance detecting light intensity distribution L2Zab and the detection value Lr of the reference light beam L2r in the first light detector 30 become the value LZabr, namely equal to each other, the distance detection section 53 can detect the distance LZ (the Z-coordinate) between the target object Ob and the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40 based on the ratio or the difference between the adjustment value ΔL2Zab of the control values to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection and the adjustment value ΔL2r of the control value to the light emitting element 12R for reference.
According to such a method, even in the case in which the environment light Lc other than the detection light beams L2 such as the infrared component included in the outside light enters the first light detector 30, the intensity of the infrared component included in the environment light Lc is canceled out when performing adjustment of the control values to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection and the light emitting element 12R for reference so that the detection values LZab, Lr become equal to each other, and therefore, the infrared component included in the environment light Lc never exerts an influence on the detection accuracy. Further, since the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b, L0r) are not included in the detection values LZab, LZr in the first light detector 30, the distance detection section 53 can detect the distance (the Z-coordinate) of the target object Ob based on the detection result in the first light detector 30 without being affected by the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b, L0r).
It should be noted that although in the method described above the distance LZ (the Z-coordinate) between the target object Ob and the transmissive member 40 is detected based on the control values to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection and the control value to the light emitting element 12R for reference, it is also possible to detect the distance LZ (the Z-coordinate) between the target object Ob and the transmissive member 40 based on the light reception result in the second light detector 60 when controlling the light emitting elements 12A, 12B, and 12R so that the detection values LZab, Lr become equal to each other.
It should be noted that although in the method described above both of the control values to the light emitting elements 12A, 12B for position detection, and the control value to the light emitting element 12R for reference are adjusted, it is also possible to adjust either one of the control values.
When obtaining the position information of the target object Ob in the Z-axis direction based on the detection result in the first light detector 30 as described above, it is also possible to adopt a configuration of, for example, using a microprocessor unit (MPU) as the position detection section 50, and thus executing predetermined software (an operation program) by the microprocessor unit, thereby performing the process. Further, as explained with reference to
Major Advantages of Present Embodiment
As explained hereinabove, in the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the light source section 11 emits the detection light beams L2 to form the light intensity distribution in the detection area 10R. Further, the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob are detected by the first light detector 30. Here, since the light intensity distribution has a certain relationship between the position in the detection area 10R and the intensity, by previously figuring out the relationship between the position and the intensity of the detection light beam, the position detection section 50 can detect the position of the target object based on the light reception result of the first light detector 30.
Further, in the present embodiment, there is provided the second light detector 60 to which the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob in the detection area 10R out of the detection light beams L2 emitted from the light source section 11 are not input, and the blank light beams L0 not passing through the detection area 10R enter the second light detector 60. Therefore, since the second light detector 60 can monitor the blank light beams L0 irrespective of whether or not the target object Ob exists in the detection area 10R, it is possible to set the emission intensities of the detection light beams L2 from the light source section 11 to optimum conditions based on the monitoring result. Therefore, since it is not required to monitor the blank light beams L0 by the first light detector 30, it is possible to adopt the configuration in which the position detecting reflected light beams L3 enter the first light detector 30 while the blank light beams L0 do not enter the first light detector 30. Therefore, since the influence of the blank light beams L0 is eliminated from the light reception result in the first light detector 30, the position detection section 50 can detect the position of the target object Ob without being unnecessarily affected by the blank light beams L0.
Further, in the present embodiment, between the second light detector 60 and the detection area 10R, there is disposed the light blocking member 70 for preventing the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob from entering the second light detector 60. Therefore, the position detecting reflected light beams L3 can be prevented from entering the second light detector 60 only by adding the configuration of providing the light blocking member 70.
Further, in the present embodiment, the transmissive member 40 is disposed between the light source section 11 and the detection area 10R, and the blank light beams L0 are the light beams reflected by the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 out of the detection light beams L2 emitted from the light source section 11. Therefore, out of the detection light beams L2 emitted from the light source section 11, the blank light beams L0 can be deflected toward the side on which the second light detector 60 is located.
Further, since the first light detector 30 has the light receiving section 31 located close to the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40, the blank light beams L0 can be prevented from entering the first light detector 30 with a relatively simple configuration. Further, the second light detector 60 is disposed at a position overlapping the first light detector 30 in the normal direction with respect to the second surface 42 on the side opposite to the side on which the transmissive member 40 is located with respect to the first light detector 30. Therefore, the position detecting reflected light beams L3 can be prevented from entering the second light detector 60 with the relatively simple configuration of disposing the light blocking member 70 between the first light detector 30 and the second light detector 60.
Further, in the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, since the light sources (the light emitting elements 12) of the light source sections 11 are light emitting diodes, the light source section 11 can be configured to have a small size at a moderate price. Further, since the first light detector 30 and the second light detector 60 are each composed of the light receiving elements such as a photodiode or a phototransistor, the first light detector 30 and the second light detector 60 can be configured to have a small size at a moderate price.
Second Embodiment
As the first embodiment an example of detecting the distance LZ of the target object Ob from the transmissive member 40 and the X-coordinate of the target object Ob using the first light detector 30 is explained. The example of detecting the Y-coordinate of the target object Ob will further be explained with reference to
Overall Configuration
In
In order for performing such detection, the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with the transmissive member 40 having a sheet-like shape or a plate-like shape and having a first surface directed along the XY plane, a light source section 11 for emitting detection light beams L2 from the side of the second surface opposite to the side of the first surface 41 in the transmissive member 40, and the first light detector 30 for detecting position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob and transmitted to the side of the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40.
In the present embodiment, the light source section 11 is provided with four light emitting elements 12 (12A through 12D) for position detection, and the four light emitting elements 12A through 12D are located at respective positions distant from each other in both of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and have the respective light emitting surfaces directed toward the transmissive member 40. The light emitting elements 12A through 12D are each composed of a light emitting diode (LED) or the like, and in the present embodiment, the light emitting elements 12A through 12D respectively emit the detection light beams L2a through L2d, which are infrared light beams, as diverging light beams.
The first light detector 30 is a photodiode having the light receiving section 31 directed toward the transmissive member 40 and is disposed on the side of the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40, and between the positions at which the two light emitting elements 12A, 12B are respectively disposed. The first light detector 30 is located on the side of the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 and has the light receiving section 31 directed toward the second surface 42, and the light receiving section 31 is disposed close to the second surface 42.
Further, in the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, on the side of the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 there is disposed a second light detector 60, and the second light detector 60 also has a light receiving section 61 directed toward the second surface 42 similarly to the first light detector 30. Similarly to the first light detector 30, the second light detector 60 is composed of a photodiode or a phototransistor, and in the present embodiment, a photodiode is used as the second light detector 60.
Here, the second light detector 60 is disposed at a position overlapping the first light detector 30 in the normal direction with respect to the second surface 42 on the side opposite to the side on which the transmissive member 40 is located with respect to the first light detector 30. Further, in a space between the first light detector 30 and the second light detector 60 included in a space between the transmissive member 40 and the second light detector 60, there is disposed a plate-like light blocking member 70, and therefore the light blocking member 70 intervenes between the detection area 10R and the second light detector 60.
Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, also in the optical position detection device 10 thus configured, since the light receiving section 31 of the first light detector 30 is opposed to the second surface 42, the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob in the detection area 10R enter the first light detector 30. It should be noted that since the light receiving section 31 of the first light detector 30 is close to the second surface 42, the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b, L0c, and L0d), which are reflected by the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 and fail to reach the detection area 10R, fail to enter the first light detector 30. In contrast thereto, since the first light detector 30 and the light blocking member 70 intervene between the second light detector 60, and the transmissive member 40 and the detection area 10R, the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob in the detection area 10R fail to enter the second light detector 60. It should be noted that since the light blocking member 70 is fairly small in view of the size of the transmissive member 40 and the distance between the light emitting elements 12, the blank light beams L0, which are reflected by the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40 and fail to reach the detection area 10R, enter the second light detector 60.
It should be noted that in the present embodiment, environment light Lc such as outside light enters both of the first light detector 30 and the second light detector 60. Further, the reference light beam L2r emitted from the light emitting element 12R for reference partially enters the first light detector 30, and partially enters the second light detector 60 as the blank light beam L0r.
In the present embodiment, the light source drive section 14 shown in
The position detection section 50 is electrically connected to the first light detector 30, and the detection result in the first light detector 30 is output to the position detection section 50. In the present embodiment, the position detection section 50 is provided with a signal processing section 55 provided with an amplifier and so on, an X-coordinate detection section 51, a Y-coordinate detection section 52, and a distance detection section 53 (a Z-coordinate detection section), and the light source drive section 14 and the position detection section 50 operate in conjunction with each other to perform the position detection described later.
An emission intensity monitoring section 16 is electrically connected to the second light detector 60, and the detection result in the second light detector 60 is output to the emission intensity monitoring section 16. Such an emission intensity monitoring section 16 monitors the emission intensity of each of the light emitting elements 12 (the light emitting elements 12A through 12D) for position detection and the light emitting element 12R for reference based on the detection result of the blank light beams L0 by the second light detector 60, and the light source control section 145 sets an initial value of the emission intensity of each of the light emitting elements 12 (the light emitting elements 12A through 12D) for position detection and the light emitting element 12R for reference based on the monitoring result.
Position Detection Operation etc.
In the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the detection area 10R is set on the side of the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40, and the light emitting elements 12A through 12D of the light source section 11 form the light intensity distributions explained below.
Firstly, the detection area 10R has, for example, a rectangular shape, and the four light emitting elements 12A through 12D have respective central optical axes directed toward the four corner portions 10Ra through 10Rd of the detection area 10R. Therefore, when the light emitting element 12A is put on, the light intensity distribution centering on the corner portion 10Ra of the detection area 10R is formed as shown in
Therefore, if the light emitting elements 12A, 12D are in an on-state and the other light emitting elements 12 are in an off-state, there is formed the X-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Xa (a first coordinate detecting light intensity distribution/a first coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution) in which the intensity of the detection light beam decreases monotonically in the X-axis direction from the one side X1 to the other side X2 as shown in
Further, if the light emitting elements 12A, 12B are in an on-state and the other light emitting elements 12 are in an off-state, there is formed the Y-coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution L2Ya (a second coordinate detecting light intensity distribution/a second coordinate detecting first light intensity distribution) in which the intensity of the detection light beam decreases monotonically in the Y-axis direction from the one side Y1 to the other side Y2 as shown in
Further, if all of the four light emitting elements 12 (the light emitting element 12A, the light emitting element 12B, the light emitting element 12C, and the light emitting element 12D) are put on, the distance detecting light intensity distribution L2Zab explained in the first embodiment with reference to
Further, also in the present embodiment, similarly to the case of the first embodiment, there is provided the second light detector 60 to which the position detecting reflected light beams L3 reflected by the target object Ob in the detection area 10R out of the detection light beams L2 emitted from the light source section 11 are not input, and the blank light beams L0 (the blank light beams L0a, L0b, L0c, and L0d) not passing through the detection area 10R enter the second light detector 60. Therefore, since the second light detector 60 can monitor the blank light beams L0 irrespective of whether or not the target object Ob exists in the detection area 10R, it is possible to set the emission intensities of the detection light beams L2 from the light source section 11 to optimum conditions based on the monitoring result. Therefore, since it is not required to monitor the blank light beams L0 by the first light detector 30, it is possible to adopt the configuration in which the position detecting reflected light beams L3 enter the first light detector 30 while the blank light beams L0 do not enter the first light detector 30. Therefore, since the influence of the blank light beams L0 is eliminated from the light reception result in the first light detector 30, there is exerted an advantage substantially the same as that of the first embodiment such that the position detection section 50 can detect the position of the target object Ob without being unnecessarily affected by the blank light beams L0.
Third Embodiment
Although in the first and second embodiments described above the optical position detection device 10 is provided with the transmissive member 40, it is also possible to apply the invention to the optical position detection device 10, which is not provided with the transmissive member 40. In the case of such a configuration, for example, a deflecting mirror for reflecting some of the detection light beam L2, which is emitted from the light source section 11, toward the second light detector 60 is disposed between the light source section 11 and the detection area 10R, and the detection light beam L2 reflected by the deflecting mirror can be used as the blank light beams L0.
First Application Example of Optical Position Detection Device 10
A robot hand device using the optical position detection device 10, to which the invention is applied, as a tactile sensor will be explained with reference to
The robot arm 200 shown in
As shown in
When gripping the target object Ob in the robot arm 200 configured as described above, the column 220, the first arm section 230, and the second arm section 240 rotate in predetermined directions to thereby make the hand 450 come closer to the target object Ob (the work), and then the two gripping claws 410 move in the direction in which the two gripping claws come closer to each other to thereby grip the target object Ob.
Here, the inside surfaces of the gripping claws 410 having contact with the target object Ob when gripping the target object Ob (the work) are each composed of the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40 of the optical position detection device 10 explained in the first and second embodiments. Therefore, when the gripping claws 410 grip the target object Ob, the optical position detection device 10 detects the relative position between the target object Ob and the gripping claws 410, and the position detection result is fed back to a drive control section of the gripping claws 410. Therefore, the gripping claws 410 can be moved closer to the target object Ob at a high speed, and therefore, speeding-up of the gripping operation of the work can be achieved. Further, in the optical position detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, since the moment when the gripping claws 410 have contact with the target object Ob can accurately be grasped, even a fragile target object Ob or an extremely soft target object Ob can be gripped without causing breakage of significant deformation to the target object Ob. In other words, when gripping the fragile target object Ob, the contact pressure of the gripping claw 410 can be set appropriately, and when gripping the soft target object Ob, a subduction amount of the gripping claws 410 to the target object Ob can be set appropriately.
Second Application Example of Optical Position Detection Device 10
A display device using the optical position detection device 10, to which the invention is applied, as a touch panel will be explained with reference to
The display device 100 with a position detection function shown in
The display device 100 with a position detection function according to the present embodiment is provided with a function of optically detecting the position of the target object Ob in the detection area 10R set in a front space (in front of the screen member 1290) from which the image is projected, and displays the image in an area overlapping the detection area 10R. The display device 100 with a position detection function according to the present embodiment treats the XY-coordinate of the target object Ob as input information for designating, for example, a part of the image thus projected, and performs, for example, switching of the image based on the input information.
With a view to realizing such a position detection function, in the display device 100 with a position detection function according to the present embodiment, the optical position detection device 10 explained in the first and second embodiments is used as a touch panel, and the screen member 290 is composed of the transmissive member 40 of the optical position detection device 10. Therefore, the screen surface on which the image is viewed in the screen member 290 is used as an input surface composed of the first surface 41 of the transmissive member 40, and on the side of the reverse side (the second surface 42 of the transmissive member 40) of the screen member 290, there are disposed the light source section 11 provided with the light emitting elements 12 for the detection light beams, and the first light detector 30.
In the display device 100 with a position detection function thus configured, when indicating the image displayed on the screen member 290 with the target object Ob such as a fingertip, the XY-coordinate and so on of the target object Ob are detected, and the position of the target object Ob can be treated as input information.
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